iPad users can beta test Microsoft’s Edge browser now

Apple is holding an education-focused event on March 27th

Does motherhood sell smartphones?

This might be a late contender for weirdest "mobile usage" news item of the year: A new study, put together by an online resource called BabyCenter, claims that there's a tie between women becoming mothers and women buying smartphones. 53% of moms surveyed by the site reported that they bought smartphones (including the iPhone) as a direct result of becoming a mother. Moms are 18% more likely to have a smartphone than "the general population."

Why is that? Mothers apparently change their app habits when they have kids as well: Before having kids, women report that their most-used apps are contacts, text messaging, and email services. After having kids? It's the camera for photos and videos, and apps for storing and tracking information.

Definitely include a grain of salt with this one -- 53% is a majority, but it isn't a huge margin, and it's unlikely that an online site called BabyCenter really reaches a representative sample of mothers everywhere. Still, there's something here, I think, even if it's only that smartphones and the iPhone are finding new audiences everywhere, far away from the traditional boardroom and male-oriented golf course.